Folks: Groundbreaking news. We are progressively getting closer and closer to discovering other forms of life in this vast, lonely, and mysterious universe. OMG!

Recently, scientists using “the latest techniques in space technology” have taken the first-ever images of planets outside of our solar system. Three planets, located approximately 130 light years from the Earth, were discovered in the HR8799 system of the Pegasus constellation. OMG!

Christian Marois, the lead astronomer of the team that found the planets, noted the significance of this discovery, saying, “[it] is the first time we have directly imaged a family of planets around a normal star outside of our solar system.” OMG!

Not be outdone, NASA found a planet of their own named Formalhaut b, orbiting around the Formalhaut star located in the Piscis Australis constellation, 25 light years away. OMG x 4!!!

OMG! What amazing breakthrough discoveries! Photos of planets from distant constellations? I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THEM!!! O-M-G!!!

Well, if you’re not some expert astronomer or scientist, prepare to be a little disappointed, because this is the groundbreaking picture of the HR8799 system planets, and this is Formalhaut b. Whoop-de-do.

I’m sorry NASA and other astronomers, but you can’t just publish abstract (for a layman’s eye, anyway) images and expect us to be excited about the prospects of other planets in the universe.

First, what is so awesome about a photo like this, which oddly looks a lot like a drawing of proteins? For all I know, you copied that picture straight out of an organic chemistry textbook.

Second, you can’t just publish artist renditions of these supposed planets and expect the public to take them as real. By that logic, everything ever produced by Pixar Animation Studios was a documentary.

Third, Formalhaut b just looks like the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings, and everyone knows Sauron was defeated by Frodo and Sam in The Return of the King. Duh. You fail.

I don’t mean to undermine the significance of this scientific discovery, but let me, for a second, undermine the significance of this scientific discovery.

You scientists can get all pumped up about this, but I’ll stay here in my layman’s chair of ignorance and expect more from you.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 8:13 pm and is filed under Random. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.